Species Spotlight: Bald Eagle

Scientific Name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Other Names: American Eagle, fishing eagle, white-headed sea eagle, Washington eagle, thunder eagle, thunder bird.

Appearance: probably the best known of the US raptors in its adult plumage. As an adult the head and tail are white with the rest of the plumage a dark brown. Immatures have a dark head and neck with mottled dark and buff feathers over rest of body, buff feathers are most often seen on the belly area. Head and tail start to molt after first year resulting in the familiar white head and tail after they are 4 years old.

Adults and 3rd year sub adults have yellow eyes, immatures have brown eyes. Beak of immatures is dark, by the time they are 3 years old it starts changing over to yellow, by 4 years old the beak is fully yellow. Feet are stocky, yellow with black talons. Legs are shorter in proportion than a golden’s legs, and the hocks are unfeathered.

Size: a very large bird, close in size to the Golden Eagle. Similar in flight to a vulture but obviously heavier bodied. Body is between 27 - 35 inches, wingspan is between 71 - 89 inches, weight averages 9 - 10 pounds. There is no remarkable difference between males and females either in weight, wingspan, wing cord measurement or plumage. Blood tests or feather chemistry tests remain the most reliable indicators (until, of course, one lays an egg!)

Range & Habitat: found throughout the contiguous 48 United States, up into Canada, with large populations in Alaska. Most individuals leave inland northern breeding areas in winter unless they have a protected, warmer water area. They prefer estuaries, large lakes, reservoirs, major rivers and some seacoast areas. Good perching trees are required!

Food Preferences: noted for their love of fish, bald eagles will also hunt waterfowl, small mammals, seabirds, and eat fresh carrion.

Hunting Technique: Swooping, sometimes low patrolling glides, or may perch in a tree overhanging a good fishing or hunting spot. Capable of flying on average between 35 - 45 mph, they often pirate food captured by other raptors - especially other bald eagles and osprey as well as from crows and gulls.

Breeding & Nesting: The bald eagle nest can be gigantic: more than 6 - 20 feet across, up to 12 feet deep and weighing up to 4000 pounds. The nests are built out of sticks mainly, added to yearly with more sticks as well as mosses, pine needles, grasses, feathers or other soft materials as interior liners. Nests are used and enlargedover and over again for decades, and are built by both the male and the female. They do not mind periodic loud noises next door either: Kennedy Space Center in Florida has 5 active bald eagle nests near the shuttle launch pad that are inhabited from September through May and average 1 to 2 chicks per year, which is normal for bald eagles. Nests can be found in view of water in trees 10 - 150 feet off the ground, on rocky promontories, or on islands or on the ground. Bald eagles mate for life and are quite gregarious throughout the year, preferring to roost at night with other bald eagles especially post-breeding season. They may travel huge distances, but normally return to nest within 100 miles of where they were raised.

Status: History indicates that when Europeans first came to North America, there were about half a million bald eagles across the country. By 1967 the population in the lower 48 states had declined to about 1000, and they were listed as Endangered. By 1999 enough of the species had recovered to be lowered one notch to Threatened status. They were removed from the Endangered Species List in 2007.